A Catholic Blog
A priest writing reflections on theology, philosophy, and Catholicism. I'll occasionaly write movie reviews, rants, and discussion topics. I write from my experiences, personal and intellectual, for my benefit and yours (should you get any from it). None of what I write is official or representative of my diocese or parish, just my semi-public attempt at figuring things out and sharing it with you for the sake of dialogue.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Humility: A small thing? (Advent Reflection)

Note: This was written about a week back and concerns this Sunday's readings (12/23/2012, Link to readings). This is a short reflection I offer you as we come to the close of Advent.

My family is getting
to that point where the next generation are having their first and
second children. Now when we gather for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and
other events they come in, give everyone their obligatory hug, and
proceed to pull out every single toy in the basement, play with it
for an average of 5 seconds, and move onto something else.
Nevertheless we all look on, either smiling at what they do or
chasing them so they don't hurt themselves by falling down a flight
of stairs. Scripture, in a manner of speaking, doesn't surprise me
when it says that small and insignificant-looking things can and will
produce a large and pervasive effect.

This can only
happen, I suppose, when we come to appreciate something small as
God's most powerful tool. Mary's sister Elizabeth certainly seemed to
appreciate it. When Mary, a young lady of probably 15 or 16 years of
age entered her house and greeted her she felt her own son, John,
leap in her womb. Mary's greeting and the reaction of her unborn son
prompted her to say “blessed are you among women” and “how is
it that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” What Elizabeth
knew in faith is not unlike what we know in love from looking at a
little child. A relationship with our Savior is obviously different
than watching a child play, but both fill us with words
inexpressible. All we can do is look on with wonder and gratitude.

Indeed, we hear
often among others who speak to the mother of a little child, “What
a beautiful child, you're so lucky.” Perhaps it's not so different
in tone next to 'blessed are you among women.'

The meeting between
Mary and Elizabeth was also a meeting of the unborn Jesus Christ and
John the Baptist. In the wombs of two women meeting in private rested
the herald of a new age and the King of all ages. In the quiet
privacy of a Jewish woman's home was a new era. Elizabeth,
recognizing this silent revolution, rejoices. The author of Hebrews
captures this feeling: he recounts that “in burnt offerings and
sacrifice you did not desire” (cf. Heb 5:5-10) but rather God
delighted in those who did his will.

No flashy work can
produce the same fruit as a humble submission to God's will. The
strange thing is that this very submission makes something even more
wonderful then the spectacle a public sacrifice in the temple might
have been. Mary is praised with such fantastic words because she
believed “that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be
fulfilled.” She is not praised because she has worked some
magnificent sign, but she is praised because she heard the voice of
God, believed it, and acted on it with a simple 'yes.' This simple
and private 'yes' changed her whole life, indeed it changed all of
our lives.

This humility and
trust produces, as it were, a light to the whole world. The feeling
is not unlike that child who captures everyone's attention at a
family party. Perhaps our own faith should be regarded as a little
child—it is small and innocent and, when we look upon it, we regard
it with infinite wonder and gratitude, seeking what's best for it
because we realize the profound impact it really has on us and those
around us.